Why do people live in Australia?

The continent has most of the world's most poisonous snakes, not only on land but in the ocean. It has the world's largest crocodiles, and one can be devoured by one in or near the ocean or a river, and then out in the surf great white sharks abound. And I haven't even mentioned box jellyfish, blue ring octopi, stone fish, or the red backed and funnel spiders.

If ever a land was saying "Go away, people," it's Australia.

Add to all this that Sydney, strangely, is one of the most expensive cities on Earth and that you're so far from the United States (where everyone wants to go) and why would anyone live there, much less WANT to live there?

So, why are there people in Australia? What explains it?

Yes, and of course I'm being tongue in cheek. I'm sure there are many reasons to risk the many ways to die there.

Replies to This Discussion

I usually find American microbrews more pleasing than foreign beers in international distribution. Beer is more fragile than wine and the closer a beer is to the brewhouse when you drink it, the more it has that "living" taste of a really fresh beer.

Also, beer out of a tap is generally better than beer out of a bottle or can which generally has been pasteurized. When I first visited Germany, my German wife's father took me to the Bremer Bahnhof (train station) and bought me a beer drawn from a tap. "Beer is always bettwr where it's constantly flowing" is advice that's stuck to me. I'll always get beer from a tap vs. beer in a bottle or can, provided it's in a location where beer is poured frequently.

I once owned a home about 12 blocks straight west of the Coors brewery - it don't get much fresher than that. Tours are given daily, with the tour group eventually winding up in the basement, where they drink free - I used to slip away from the group and elevator straight to the basement. Good times.

@RobertPiano - You may be the only American to pronounce Melbourne like a local :)

The criminals here now, are in politics or in church.

The original settlers took six months to get here, and had to bring everything with them, building materials, furniture, food, animals, going from cold climate to hot. I don't know how they did it. Well, a lot of them did die during the voyage.

I just can't imagine, no coffee shops or bistros - what is the point :)

I have watched a TV show here, (yes, Unseen, we do have TV) about alligator hunters in creeks and rivers, including a couple of sisters. They breed them tough - they were keeping up with the blokes. Steve Irwin and maybe a couple of others would hunt crocodiles, but not many. How about the family that makes duck whistles. A real hoot. We haven't got the characters that you have.

I live in the city, so am fascinated with the American shows that have these people, It is a real education, and it shows just how lame city people are.

There are parts of Australia as green as your photo, but very few. It looks beautiful.

RE: "I just can't imagine, no coffee shops or bistros - what is the point :)"

Hey - Cain, the only other man on earth, besides his dad, popped over to Nod County and built a city (Gen 4:17) - I don't know which is worse, a land with no coffee shops or bistros, or coffee shops and bistrros, with no people.

We do have a free hospital and medical service in Australia. The money would also be going into medical research for all sorts of things - Australia is very big on research - there are adds on TV of what smoking does to one's body etc. Really gross. There is also a myriad of help to stop smoking products, and a Quit Smoking hotline.

Do the doctors, nurses and others work for free? Or is it that every tax payer pays for hospital and medical service? That would be similar to our system in Canada where 1/2 the population support the other 1/2. The supported 1/2 get their medical care for free but we others pay double.

Only opinion but don't see how it is possible here. Too many bleeding hearts who support people being allowed to do pursue far more damaging practices. On the banning list, I'd put several items higher on the list such as banning drug addict and alcoholic parents from continuing to have damaged children. We don't seem to be able to do that one so see no way to ban tobacco.